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The Mac Observer has published a new interview with Haden Blackman, project lead for Star Wars The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition. In the article the developer discusses the process of creating the title, touching on topics such as the game's powerful Force abilities and George Lucas' input on the storyline.

The Force Unleashed takes place during the largely-unexplored terrain between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, which George Lucas had kept off-limits until he completed the prequel trilogy. A few novels and comic books have since stepped onto that turf, and a planned live-action TV series is supposed to dive into it too, but that didn’t stop Mr. Blackman and his team from taking a long, hard look at Darth Vader’s relationship to the Emperor and wondering “What if?”

Mr. Lucas revealed to Mr. Blackman that the Emperor viewed Vader as “broken” after the events of Revenge of the Sith, because of his defeat at Obi Wan’s hands, and that inspired the idea of a secret apprentice played by you. Vader grooms his apprentice – named Galen but also referred to by the code name “Starkiller” (many fans will know that was Luke Skywalker’s surname in an early draft of Star Wars) – as a hedge against the Emperor deciding to toss him aside. If the Emperor made such a move, he would have to contend with two opponents, not one.

“We found a way to [explore that] through Vader’s relationship with the Apprentice, and ultimately his choices relative to both the Apprentice and the Emperor,” Mr. Blackman explained. “We were also able to make PROXY (Galen’s protocol droid) serve the traditional role of ‘the Fool’: he seems disconnected, but he actually has some great insights, especially into Vader.”

The Mac Observer: Force Unleashed Interview

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Star Wars The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition

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